Vision

To make a measurable, lifelong impact on the education and well-being of children, youth, their families, and our community.

 

Core Values

Integrity in all endeavours.
Honesty & Transparency in all communication.
Accountability to ourselves, our mission, and our Community.
A commitment to Innovation in education and development.
Collaboration to embrace Diversity.

General Information

Programming & Scheduling

Oak Learners makes every effort to maintain an updated program listing and schedule through our website. We may have to make changes to our program offerings at any point during our school year. Oak Learners also reserves the right to change class times, teachers, and program offerings at any time. In this case, we will make every effort to accommodate your programming and scheduling needs wherever possible.

 

Cell Phones and/or Personal Communication Devices

Cell phones and smart watches are NOT permitted for use at Oak Learners by participants under 14 years of age. If a child under 14 brings a personal communication device to school or camp, it must be turned OFF and kept in the school office until the end of the day. 

Oak Learners is not responsible for any lost or stolen devices. 

 

Lost-and-Found

Oak Learners DOES NOT assume ANY responsibility for ANY personal property (including, but not limited to clothing, jewellery, cameras, cell phones, computers, tablets, purses, wallets, vehicles, etc.) if items left on school premises get lost or damaged.

If your child leaves an item behind, we will do our best to place it in the Lost-and-Found until it can be retrieved. At the end of each month, all items remaining in the Lost-and-Found will be donated to a local children’s charity.

Registration & Payment

Full payment is due at the time of registration for ALL Oak Learners programming. Registration is always subject to space availability in the selected program(s).

The terms of the registration agreement are considered in effect upon Oak Learners receiving a signed tuition agreement, payment, or payment information to hold a class or program placement.

Please note: expressing intent to register, whether to an instructor or the office, does NOT hold a student's placement. Registration is only confirmed upon receipt of full payment.

Missed Lessons or Cancellations

If you will be missing a lesson or school day, please notify the program coordinator or office as soon as possible by email or the Brightwheel app.

Missed classes, day school, and day camps are not eligible for make-up lessons or credits. Tuition fees are for full-year programming and not refundable or transferable.

Private lessons (Tutoring and Music) cancelled by the student/parent can be made up provided a minimum of 24 hours' notice is received by Oak Learners and the cancellation is due to a reasonable cause (i.e., illness, family emergency, or vacation). Otherwise, the late notice of the cancelled class will be charged at the full amount of the cancelled lesson.

Oak Learners reserves the right to withdraw any course, to change an instructor of any lesson, or to close any location at any time without notice or liability other than to refund tuition fees received for lessons cancelled due to such withdrawal or closing.

Force Majeure Clause

Oak Learners, Inc.'s withdrawal and termination policies are not applicable during a time of force majeure, an act of God, or circumstances beyond our control (i.e., pandemic, quarantine, natural disaster, etc.).

In such a force majeure situation, Oak learners will make every effort to provide instruction through virtual learning. In the case that Oak Learners is unable to provide comparable instructional programming through online learning methods, a credit towards tuition fees will be applied. All withdrawal & cancellation requests made during the Force Majeure period will be provided with a credit, calculated as per the withdrawal policy, towards a future program registration. The lifetime credit can be used towards any future Oak Learners program registration and is transferable to any immediate family member.

 

Withdrawal Policy

(Applicable to Day School, Bridge-the-Gap, Preschool, and BASE Camp)

Notice of student withdrawal must be made in writing. Any fees still outstanding will be due upon withdrawal.
The registration fee will not be refunded.
Requests for reimbursement of tuition fees may be made upon withdrawal, and such requests will be assessed at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

 

Day Camp Specific Registration, Payment, and Cancellation

Full payment for camp registration must be received at the time of registration.

• All cancellations must be provided in writing; we do not accept cancellation requests over the phone.
• All summer camp cancellations made before June 1st of the same program year are subject to a 10% administration fee of the original purchase amount.
• All cancellations of summer camp weeks made on or after June 1st of the same program year will only be refunded at 50% of the original purchase amount being cancelled.
• Any cancellations made within 7 days of the start of the camp will not be refunded.

Day School Hours:

The school day runs from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm.
AM Drop-off is from 8:50-9:00 am. PM Dismissal is from 3:30-3:40 pm.

Extended Hours for Day School Students: Extended hours are available for Day School students at a rate of $10 per hour. Families who anticipate needing before or after care are encouraged to let us know in advance so we can plan appropriate staffing. Any student who has not been picked up by 3:45 pm will be brought to Extended Care, and the applicable hourly rate will apply.

Before School Programming is available from 7:30 to 9:00 am.After School Programming is available from 3:30 to 6:00 pm.

 

Preschool Enrichment Program Hours:

The preschool program begins at 9:00am and ends at 12:00pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Early Drop-off and Late Pick-up is not available for preschool students.

 

B.A.S.E CAMP (Before and After Care Enrichment Camp) Hours:

Before School BASE Camp: From 7:30 to 9:00 am.
After School BASE Camp: From 3:00 to 6:00 pm.
PA Day Camp: Included for all students registered in B.A.S.E. Camp.

For a list of PA Days see our School Year Calendar

Please confirm your child’s attendance in Brightwheel prior to the PA Day to help us ensure accurate attendance and staffing.

 

Daily Attendance and Absences

If you will be missing a day, it is the parents’ responsibility to post a message in the Brightwheel App as soon as possible to notify us of your child/ren’s absence.

Children who are late may need to be dropped off at an off-site location if their group has already left. Children who need to be picked up early may also need to be retrieved from an off-site location. Please let us know in the morning if this is the case so we can coordinate pickups accordingly.

All extended-hour billing is processed directly through the Brightwheel app, based on each child’s check-in and check-out times. For this reason, it is very important that parents/caregivers complete the Brightwheel check-in/check-out process at both drop off and pick up. This ensures accurate attendance records and prevents families from being inadvertently billed for hours their child did not attend any extended hours at school.

While staff will assist whenever possible, parents are responsible for logging their own drop offs and pick ups each day, as teachers may be occupied with students during these transition times. If you ever need help navigating Brightwheel, we’re always here to support you.

 

School Holidays

The Academic School year at Oak Learners follows a 10-month school year and runs from September to June. School closures and holidays areas noted here. If there are any changes to this calendar, parents will be notified through written communication.

It is very rare for Oak Learners to close due to weather, as we follow the Toronto District School Board severe weather procedures. In the event of a school closure prior to the start of the day, all families will be notified in Brightwheel by 7:00 a.m. If a storm occurs throughout the day, parents will be notified of the school closing and staff will remain until all students are picked up.

 

Communication with Teachers

At Oak Learners, we believe that open communication between parents, teachers, and administration is key to every child’s success. Supporting each student’s growth is a collaborative effort that thrives on regular, respectful communication among all adults involved.
Day-to-day communication takes place through the BrightWheel App. An invitation to join your child's profile on Brightwheel will be sent via email.

Brightwheel also serves as our attendance platform and it is mandatory for parents or caregivers to sign students in and out each day. This system provides accurate tracking for attendance, Before and After Care, and billing.

Brightwheel can also be used to indicate a child’s absence or communicate important updates such as early pickups, late arrivals, or alternate pickup arrangements. We ask that parents use the app for these notifications whenever possible.

Teachers use Brightwheel to share class announcements, photos, and student portfolio updates. Parents may also message teachers directly through the app; however, please note that teachers are often engaged with students throughout the day and may only be able to respond before or after school hours or during scheduled preparation times.

Program Participation

All students attending school are required to participate in all school activities.

The administrative staff are conscientious about extreme weather conditions and follow the Toronto District School Board recommendations. In the event of cold weather, students will remain indoors if the temperature exceeds –28 degrees Celsius. Outdoor time will be shortened if the temperature falls between –21 and –27 degrees Celsius. At the other extreme, if the outdoor temperature exceeds +35 degrees Celsius, the students will remain indoors.

Daily Physical Activity:
All students are expected to participate in a minimum of 20 minutes of Daily Physical Activity (DPA), as outlined in the Ontario Ministry of Education Daily Physical Activity Policy and adhere to the guidelines for DPA safety and procedure as outlined in the Ontario Physical Education Safety Guidelines published by OPHEA.

DPA at Oak Learners may take the form of Yoga, Dance, Indoor Games, or Neighbourhood Walks and Outings. Since we do not have a dedicated outdoor play-space at Oak Learners, students walk to local parks daily with their teachers for free play and organized outdoor activities. At times, teachers may also arrange for an alternate community location or activity for DPA options.

Indoor and Outdoor Clothing and Gear

Children are encouraged to wear play-friendly, comfortable clothing each day. Indoor shoes are required for all students and staff. For safety reasons, NO bare feet, socks or footwear that could be slippery are permitted indoors.

** Please label ALL clothing and footwear. **

Year-Round, All-Weather Outdoor Learning

Oak Learners endeavours every day to inspire learning through an authentic skill-based curriculum. Our teachers nurture children’s natural curiosity about their world with student-centered experiences and spend 2-3 hours outside every single day, rain or shine! You can help us set your children up for success in Outdoor Learning by ensuring they have the proper clothing for safe and comfortable participation every day, regardless of the weather.

Here are some helpful tips for shopping for each season:

• 🍂Fall - The Best Outdoor Clothing for Kids
• ❄️Winter - The Best Winter Clothing for Spending More Time Outside this Season
• 🌞Spring - The Best Spring Outdoor Clothing for Kids

Technology Use and Responsibility

At Oak Learners, our mission includes bringing personalized education to every student. This has always included the option for students to “Bring Your Own Device”. We find that when students learn how to personalize and navigate their own tablet or laptop, they are more efficient and more confident with academic tasks that require technology.

Students at the Primary and Junior level have access to our classroom desktop computers and school iPad. The elementary curriculum includes frequent technology lessons, including typing, Internet Safety and Responsibility, Research skills, spreadsheets and more. At Oak Learners, we want to also equip our students with 21st Century skills by teaching them to apply critical thinking skills and learn collaboration skills for research and presentations.

If a child is bringing a device to school, it will be kept in the classroom or the office until it will be used for academic purposes and must be labelled with your child’s name. We also ask that you provide the teacher(s) with the password or code to unlock the device. If you would like us to help with setup of Apps and security settings, then we will also need the administrator password. Please contact your child’s teacher to discuss the BYOD needs or routine for your child.

*Note: Oak Learners owns the data and although students and staff may use their own devices, they cannot take personal or proprietary information out of the school.

**REMINDER: Oak Learners DOES NOT assume ANY responsibility for ANY personal property (including, but not limited to clothing, jewelry, cameras, cell phones, computers, tablets, purses, wallets, vehicles, etc.) if items left on school premises get lost or damaged.

Transportation Policy

Oak Learners has daily access to a Kia Carnival minivan to provide safe pickup/drop-off services to certain schools, to provide van transportation to enrich our programs with field trips and to pick-up students from local outings in the event of inclement weather or emergencies.

Procedures

1. The Oak Learners Van will only be driven by fully licensed drivers and approved designates of Oak Learners, Inc. Drivers have been instructed on proper fastening of seat belts and the use of child seats.

2. Transportation of children is in accordance with Ontario's Highway Traffic Act:

• Ontario's Highway Traffic Act allows children weighing 9 kg to 18 kg (20 to 40 lb.) to use a forward-facing child car seat or a rear-facing car seat as long as the car seat manufacturer recommends its use.

• Ontario's Highway Traffic Act requires children weighing 18 kg to 36 kg (40 to 80 lb.), standing less than 145 cm (4 ft. 9 in.) tall, and who are under the age of 8 to use a booster seat or allow the continued use of a forward-facing seat as long as the car seat manufacturer recommends its use.

•  Ontario's Highway Traffic Act allows a child to use a seatbelt alone when any one of the following occurs: Child turns 8 years old, or child weighs 36 kg (80 lb.), or child is 145 cm (4 ft. 9 in.) tall or more.

3. Drivers will ensure parking in legal spots in order to walk children into the school grounds.

4. Drivers are to never:

• • Leave any children in the van alone
  • Permit eating or drinking in order to minimize choking hazards
  • Refuel when children are in the van

5. Drivers/educators will report any minor car incidents to the director and to families immediately.

6. Drivers/educators take the following into the van each time:

• • A list of children being transported (attendance sheet)
  • A list of schools, phone numbers for the schools, child care, and emergency numbers
  • Each child's emergency card
  • The driving schedule containing a list of drop-off and pickup times and locations
  • Cell phones
  • Emergency kit and fire extinguisher
  • Permission forms for field trips if attending a field trip
  • Emergency prescription medication, EpiPens, etc.

 

Food & Snacks

Oak Learners is strictly a NUT-FREE facility.

To maintain optimal learning throughout the students' day, each student is encouraged to bring healthy and well-balanced choices for morning and afternoon nutrition breaks.

Some students at our school have life-threatening food allergies, and we have, as a school and a community, worked to establish practices and systems to ensure that all our students are able to enjoy a safe and inclusive learning environment. We understand it can be confusing, and sometimes the guidelines seem unclear. So to help clarify, we are including some facts, along with some responses to commonly asked questions (Q&A) and points of confusion within our handbook.

Some Facts and Realities About Food and Allergies at Oak Learners:

• At the moment we have students at our school with life-threatening allergies to the following items: **nuts and tree nuts (peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, etc.)

• This list, of course, is partial and temporary. It may change as new students come into our school community every year or as new allergies are identified.

There are no universally “safe” or “unsafe” foods -- different students have different allergies, and being careful to observe things like “no peanuts” directives is NOT the same as ensuring food safety.

*** All anaphylactic reactions -- whether to peanuts or to any of the other foods listed above -- have the potential to be life-threatening.**

ALL foods sent to Oak Learners MUST be PEANUT- and TREE-NUT-FREE.

There will be absolutely NO sharing of food, even between siblings. Please do not send treats for special occasions, as we are unable to distribute food or drinks to the students.

Reusable, pre-filled water bottles are required, as they will be used throughout the day and refilled as needed.

Oak Learners adheres to a strict Boomerang Lunch policy; therefore, ALL containers, wrappers, and leftover food will be sent home at the end of the day. We also strongly encourage the use of reusable food containers, when appropriate.

Students of all ages are encouraged to take an active role in preparing and packing their lunches. This also allows the child to be better able to identify their own containers, etc. Please ensure each child has their own lunch bag and that all containers and bags are labeled.

Please notify us upon registration and if there are any medical and/or dietary concerns as well as any changes with your child(ren) regarding food and/or drinks.

 

Infection Prevention & Control

The following enhancements to the facility and programs at Oak Learners are being put into place to protect the health and safety of our students for the 2024-2025 school year, our staff, and our families. All policies and procedures were developed in accordance with guidelines from Toronto Public Health. All policies and procedures are continuously reviewed and revised regularly to be always in accordance with the most current guidelines from Toronto Public Health.

Facility Enhancements

• Oak Learners has increased daily cleaning and sanitizing of our facility, as per Toronto Public Health guidelines.
• All unnecessary or hard-to-clean items have been removed from classrooms. All other materials and equipment undergo daily cleaning and/or cleaning between uses.

Programming Enhancements

• Designing our unique programs with an increased emphasis on Outdoor Education to maximize the learning opportunities for children while we spend at least 30% of our school day outside.
• Maintaining our focus on social and emotional learning for our students through a supportive and flexible program.

Participant & Staff Requirements

• Students will be reminded to practice healthy respiratory etiquette, such as speaking to others from a safe distance, coughing and sneezing into their shirt or sleeve and staying home when sick.
• Current guidelines from Toronto Public Health regarding infection prevention & control will be frequently reviewed and adhered to, as needed.

 

Policies for Student at Risk for Anaphylaxis

At the time of registration, using the Oak Learners Registration Form, parents are asked to report on their child’s medical conditions, including whether their child has a medical diagnosis of anaphylaxis. Information on a student’s life threatening conditions will be recorded and updated on the student’s Permanent Student Record annually.

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to:

• Inform the school principal when their child is diagnosed as being at risk for anaphylaxis

• In a timely manner, complete medical forms and the Student Emergency Procedure Plan, which includes a photograph, description of the child's allergy, emergency procedures, contact information, and consent to administer medication

• Provide the school with updated medical information at the beginning of each school year, and or camp and whenever there is a significant change related to their child
• Inform service providers of programs delivered on school property by non-school personnel of their child's anaphylaxis and care plan, as these programs are not the responsibility of the school.

It is strongly recommended that anaphylactic students wear medical identifying information (e.g., MedicAlert® bracelet). The identifying information could alert others to the student’s allergies and indicate that the student carries an epinephrine auto-injector. Information accessed through a special number on the identifying information can also assist first responders, such as paramedics, to access important information quickly.

See www.medicalert.ca for ordering information.

Epi-Pen Policy

Children who require an Epi-Pen must ALWAYS have their Epi-Pen at school, preferably worn on their body at all times. Oak Learners also request that parents provide a second Epi-Pen for the school to keep onsite or in a staff member’s First Aid Kit, in the case of an emergency.

 

Medication Policy

All medication, prescription and non-prescription must be handed into the office clearly labeled with the medication name, designated dose time and student’s name and should come in its original packaging whenever possible. Office administrators will distribute medication at the designated times.

The school does NOT supply ANY form of pain management medication, indigestion tablets or throat lozenges.

 

Illness, Accidents and Emergencies

All staff are trained in emergency procedures during the professional development time in August. Students will receive direction and practice of the various procedures throughout the year.

In the unlikely event of a serious accident or illness, the school will phone a parent/guardian immediately. If the school is unable to reach a parent/guardian, the emergency contact provided on the student’s registration would be called. (Any injury or illness that requires medicine or further treatment must be recorded into the “incident report” book stating the cause of injury and treatment provided).

The parent makes the final decision regarding the injury, including whether they wish to pick up the child or allow the child to finish the school day. Parents are required to notify the office of any change in contact information.

ALL HEAD INJURIES, regardless of how minor, an incident report must be logged in the school’s “incident report” book, along with a phone call to the parent. The staff that brings the student to the office is to ensure that the call home is made and write all necessary information in the incident book.

When emergency services are required, 911 is called immediately. We ensure that the student is always supervised, kept warm and calm. Every attempt will be made to contact the parents once the situation is in control.

 

Sensitivities to Scents

Sensitivities to Scents: We are a SCENT REDUCED FACILITY

Some of our staff and students experience health concerns arising from exposure to some scented products. Therefore, Oak Learners has instituted a policy to provide a scent-reduced environment for all students, employees and visitors. The policy includes smells or odours from ingredients and chemicals in cosmetics (perfume, make-up, shampoo, deodorant, etc.) or from other products such as air fresheners, cleaners, etc. As a result, we kindly ask that visitors cooperate with remaining scent-reduced to help accommodate those who have scent sensitivities.